More of the Same

It really helpful to spend book time with my grandchildren so I can better judge what to send.

Zach is constantly in motion so flap books that read quickly engage him for a few minutes before he’s off exploring again. Soon he’ll be noise-making and that ought to be something else that involves him. These flap books are great for sharing. Catie models sounds and naming as Zach opens flaps. He adores his big sis and if she’s reading with him, that’s one more draw.

Sebastien Braun’s Can You Say It Too: Hoot! Hoot!(Nosy Crow, ages 6 months-2) begins with the question, “Who’s that in the tree?” A sturdy flap reveals a “wise owl” and the “Hoot! Hoot sound he makes. This pattern continues with the sniffing furry fox behind the fence, the squeaking busy mouse beside the flowerpot, the nibbling hungry squirrel behind the bucket and ends with the snoring sleepy rabbit under the bush.

When I was in Boston, I discovered that Catie loved one of my favorite books, Linda Urban’sMouse Was Mad(Houghton, ages 3-6). It’s the story of a small mouse experimenting with temper tantrums. He’s coached by his larger friends on how to improve these and continually winds up in a mud puddle until he finds his own style.

With Mr. Toucan’s help Betty sees how to peel a banana, “but the banana….(page turn)… “was Betty’s and SHE wanted to peel it.” The fact that she can’t leads to another fit, more page turns until finally Mr. Toucan takes over, calms her down. That works until the banana breaks and, there’s another fit until she eats the delicious banana. But she’s not done fitting. Betty suddenly sees another banana… and this leads to the final page turn. The patterning and noise making make this a dramatically fun read. The page are a wonderful element in this story.